welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. here is a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. the u.s. defense secretary lays out the case against china's newly declared air defense identification zone. thailand's revered kichk has called on the people of the nation to unite without referring directly to the recent antigovernment protests.

unesco officials have given a nod to traditional japanese cuisine and added it to their list of intangible cultural heritage. the u.s. defense secretary says the biggest concern for washington is how china declared its air defense identification zone. chuck hagel said other countries should have been consulted on it first. >> it's not that the aid itself is new or unique. the biggest concern we have is how it was done so unilaterally and so immediately without any consultation. >> last month chinese defense officials said all foreign aircraft traveling through the zone must get pry or notice and follow orders or face emergency measures. hagel said the declaration was not a wise decision.

joint chief martin dempsey said the requirements did not conform to international norms. >> it wasn't the declaration of the aid that was destabilizing, it was their assertion that they would require all aircraft to report regardless of whether they were intending to enter into the sovereign aerospace of china. on wednesday u.s. vice president joe biden discussed the incident with chinese vice president xi jinping. biden says the united states has deep concerns about the zone and does not recognize it. the air zone includes a group of islands that japan controls and taiwan claims. japanese leaders have urged for the declaration to be withdrawn. in pattern of events unique to thailand violent protests have paused for a nationwide celebration. thursday marks the 86th birthday of the widely revered king. he called for solidarity, a televised address during the

break in antigovernment demonstrations. our reporter tra tina gao son is in bangkok. >> reporter: this area around the monument is in front of one of the king's palaces. it's where massive antigovernment protests had been staged until tuesday. large photographs have been posted here and there and the streets have been decorated with ornaments to boost the mood. the area is crowded with people celebrating the king's birthday, many sporting shirts in yellow and people queueing up for food and drinks for free. since last week political tensions have been high but

protests were voluntarily halted so the country could mark the king's birthday with dignity. on thursday morning the king called for solidarity in an address aired across the country. >> reporter: the king is throngest ruling monarch in the rule although he has no official political power, he exerts great

influence. in the 3569 political crises the king has paved the way for mediation by so many rival groups to appear together before him. that's why attention has been focused on whether his address on thursday would help end the recent turmoil. the king appealed for solidarity without showing support for either of the rival political groups. the most recent conflict was triggered when prime minister yingluck attempted to railroad an amnesty bill through parliament last month. the opposition reacted sharply saying they would let his older brother return to thailand. he was ousted in a 2006 military queue and is now living in self imposed exile. on thursday anti-government protests continue sit-ins on plan to restart demonstrations

friday. the opposition group's base is the urban middle class. thaksin's support is rooted in the farm bill with generous aid programs to win elections. with deep seated issues unresolved, the lull on the king's birthday is unlikely to last long. we'll be watching the situation in bangkok as it develops. >> tra, thanks. "the washington post" is reporting u.s. intelligence acts are reaching beyond their country borders to monitor cell phones. it says staff at the national security agency are not just intercepting calls but also tracking the movements of phones around the world. the paper cites documents leaked by former nsa contractor edward snowden. it says agents collect 5 billion records every day on cell phones across the planet. the report says agents use that information to track people of interest and identify their

associates. u.s. government officials say nsa personnel are trying to prevent terrorism and only monitoring non-americans. the pris tij ous hotel in prag has turned a secret cold war underground bunker into a tourist destination. the aim is to show visitors how it was once used as a center for spy operations. the alta hotel recently opened the bunker to mark its 55th anniversary. during the cold war the luxury hotel was a popular destination for both western tourists and journalists. hidden 20 meters under ground it can only be reached by ladder. a hotel official says only a few knew it ever existed. on display is some original spy equipment such as a tape recorder for listening on each of the hotel's 94 rooms, also a floor plan of the hotel with rooms painted in red, yellow and

green. the red were assigned to hide value targets. the bunker could double auz a nuclear bomb shelter. it was furnished to allow some 150 key officials to survive in it for months. academics in japan say the panel that advises the government on nuclear power should change its priorities. the atomic energy commission has spent over 50 years promoting the use of nuclear energy. the academics say its members should focus on tackling problems the industry has created. the experts say the commission should address a limited number of key challenges. they say those challenges should include disposal of radioactive waste and helping government leaders decide how to deal with the crippled nuclear plant in fukushima. they say the commission should also make sure nuclear technology is only used for peaceful purposes such as power

generation and rsh. the experts plan to finalize their recommendations next week. mexican nuclear safety officials say they located potentially dangerous radioactive material used for medical purposes. it had been removed from a stolen truck earlier in the week. the material cobalt 60 and the truck were found abandoned outside mexico city on wednesday. two armed men stole the vehicle on monday, not far from where the cargo was found. officials say the radioactive material had been removed from its protective container. authorities sealed off a 500 meter perimeter and sent a team in to recover it. cobalt 60 is used in cancer treatments and other medical applications. the international atomic energy agency has been urging countries to take steps to prevent the material from falling into the

wrong hands. japan's latest stimulus plan has been approved. it's supposed to further boost the economy. ron madison has the details on that. >> that is the hope, of course. there has been a bit of concern about whether the economy could actually shoulder the weight of the planned contac hikes. they're hoping to count ernie negative effects the higher tax may bring. it works out to just about $54 billion. cabinet ministers are hoping the measure will help the economy keep expanding and want to support low income earners who might be affected by the tax hike. nearly $14 billion will go to sharpening japan's competitive edge. officials will use the money to promote research and development on new medicines and invest in infrastructure projects for the 2020 tokyo olympics. they've earmarked about $6 billion to people with low incomes and subsidies for home

buyers. $3 billion to welfare programs. the ministers also want to speed up recovery for those hit by the march 2011 disaster. it includes $30 billion to improve reconstruction and improve disaster preparedness. it will support evacuees returning to their home near the fukushima daiichi plant. he says his top priority is reviving the economy and rebalancing the budget. >> translator: execution of these measures is needed to put the economy on a solid recovery path. >> the cabinet says the stimulus measures will boost japan's gross domestic pattern by 1% and create a quarter million jobs. the government plans to endorse the budget next week to finance the package. japan's economic revitalization minister says he

has cancer. the minister in front of the free trade talks under the transpacific partnership says he will not attend the upcoming meeting. he said a medical examination found an early stage of cancer on his tongue. he had been hospitalized for testing since monday after complaining of poor health. he said his doctors said he can go back to work after two weeks in the hospital for an operation and one or two weeks at home for recuperation. amari says he told prime minister abe he would like to resign, but abe urged him to overcome his illness and continue in his post. >> translator: i realize what i should do now is to recover quickly from my illness and get back to duty as a cabinet minister. in place of amari senior vice minister of the cabinet office will take part in the tpp talks that open saturday in

singapore. european equities are a little changed ahead of policy decisions from the european central bank as well as the bank of england. here is how things are looking right now. london is down by just a touch there. frankfurt is gaining over .10% while paris is declining by about .10%. most asian markets fell on concern about an early scaling back of the federal reserve's bond buying program. tokyo's nikkei declined 1.5% amid a firm yen. singapore's index slid over 1% and fell to near a three-month low. meanwhile india's sensex index climbed over 1% finishing at 20,957, the highest closing level in a month. investors are hopeful the country's pro business party will come into power following the slated general election next year. here is what's going on in currencies. dollar/yen is 101.98. analysts say the dollar is in a correction phase after a recent sharp rally. players are waiting for revised

gdp numbers due out on thursday. your i don't/yen is 138.59. participants are eager to hear how the central bank sees the current level of the euro. tokyo electric power company is planning to spend about $28 billion over ten years to rebuild its finances. nhk has learned that the plan will be announced later this month. tepco has been struggling as the operator of the crippled fukushima daiichi plant. the company plans to rebuild thermal power plants older than 40 years mainly in the tokyo bay area. it achls to work with other companies to modernize these facilities. the utility hopes to raise the efficiency of the thermal plants in view of the suspension of its nuclear power stations. to cut costs, they plan to use cheaper shale gas imports from north america. tepco will invest in overseas gas development projects.

tepco officials say they have to improve profits to pay compensation for the nuclear accident as well as to financing decommissioning of the fukushima plant. google has entered the robot business. the firm bought seven technology companies over the last six months. these will help in google's efforts to develop a new generation of robots. the developer of the system, andy ruben unveiled the plan. this was in wednesday's edition of "the new york times." it says google acquired schaft started by graduates of the university of tokyo. they also bought san francisco based mecca robotics. google executives recognize robotics as a field that requires a long-term approach. this was the case for the google glass which is a spectacle shaped wear-on commuter and also

the google car that has no driver. executives say development will focus on robots for industrial applications. this does include things like assembling parts. that is going to wrap it up for biz tonight. i'll leave you with the markets. people around the world have been witnessing an undersea rescue that some call a miracle. a nigerian man survived three days in an upturned tug boat at the bottom of the atlantic. an online video of the diver pulling him out has gone viral. >> the tug boat sunk off nigeria

in may. it settled on the seabed 30 meters down t. video shows the diver searching for bodies. he reaches for a hand and the hand grabs back. the man spent three days in a air pocket with only soda for sus tin nance. he told rescuers he was the ship's cook. he says he now hopes to work in a hotel and never wants to go back to sea. diners around the world have long appreciated japanese cooking. now unesco has decided to add japan's traditional cuisine and food cultural to its list of intangible cultural heritage. the organization holds a meeting every year to decide on what new registrations should be included. the system is aimed at protecting important samples of regional customs and traditions around the world. this year's meeting started on

monday in ba queue, the capital of icizer buy june. jap n >> translator: i think the listing was too late. we haven't understood enough how people around the world like why shah queue. i'm delighted. tran tran why show queue is based on the japanese spirit of respecting nature. i hope people around the world will understand the heart of why show queue as our food culture. >> in october a body that does preliminary screening of candidates recommended it be added to the list. japan's food culture has become the country's 22nd list of intangibles. others include kai buick ki and know theater. people in osaka expressed happiness over the news.

>> translator: i love japanese food. >> why show queue is the heart of japanese cup tour itself. i hope people around the world can appreciate it. >> tourists in kyoto. >> japanese food is very unique. very different from the rest of the world. >> i love so much of it. it's hard to say. i guess sushi and fresh sue she is very good. >> people who work in japan's food industry say the listing may give their industry a boost. they say japanese cuisine could become more popular around the world. unesco has recognized something essential to the korean people's diet, too. kimjang was also recognized.

nhk world's anna jhung has more from seoul. >> translator: kimjang's listing is making the rounds through the media and on the streets. >> translator: i'm happy that the traditional culture has been recognized globally. >> reporter: i'm in central seoul. there are a lot of events going on to celebrate the registration of kimjang. one group is promoting kim chie as something to strengthen family and regional ties. these days you can even find kim chie on international flights. it's an essential part of a korean meal. up until about a decade ago it was made across the country in both rural and urban areas. kimjang is group work. families and neighbors get together to pickle cabbage with

korea's seasoning. the recipe also changes depending on the season with varying levels of chilli and salt. it's a tradition in south korea that people of the same neighborhood come together for kimjang and share the kimchi. kimjang has become less popular due to rapid urbanization and trend toward a nuclear family, more people are buying processed kim chie. there's a steady decline in the amount of young people eating it as well. >> translator: i don't eat kimchi because it's too spicy for me. i don't know how to make it either. >> reporter: the government has responded by launching a project to protect the country's food culture. it puts emphasis on the collective process of kimjang as a way to reaffirm the korean

identity and strengthen family cooperation. kimjang is now on the school curriculum to students can maintain the tradition. know-how of kimjang was collected so it could be mass produced. in 2011 the government included kimjang in the state inventory of intangible cultural heritage maintained by the cultural heritage administration. >> translator: i'm glad that kimjang culture has been recognized by unesco. internationally the registration is good opportunity for others to learn how south korean society is connected by a strong sense of unity. >> reporter: since the days of former president bach, the government has been working hard to promote its food culture to the world. it's working with the private sector to make korean food a global brand. with the intangible cultural

heritage registration, some people hope that the international community will get a taste of the bonds that kimjang forms. anna young, nhk world, seoul. northern urine is dealing with an intense winter storm. our meteorologist robert speta has been following this. >> this is going down as one of the windiest storms thus fall, going into winter. already reports in scotland, upwards of reports of 180 kilometers per hour, we're seeing power outages and heavy snowfall. some areas off to the north could be getting upwards about 30 centimeters of snow combined with this very high wind. you can see the lines really close together. that's the tight pressure gradient we talk about. when you get that, you get these winds that could be causing damage out here, already reports of coastal flooding as well in a few areas just due to that wind driving the water onshore.

very gusty winds out here. whiteout conditions, heavy snowfall. if you plan on traveling on the northern portions of the low countries here. really do take your time. if you're out on the roads or have any travel plans across this area because it is going to be some delays. definitely want to watch this through the next 24 hours. good news going into the weekend, should be tapering off as the storm starts to push off towards the east. if you're down around the mediterranean here in europe, pretty decent weather. high pressure has dominated towards the south. the dominance is one of the reasons it's so windy. sunny skies in madrid, lisbon, athens with a high of 12. sunny skies there as well on thursday. also a strong winter storm moving across the americas and pushing towards canada. a deep low over ontario. this has been bringing gusty winds, actually windchill mornings in effect across portions of dakota. some areas could be feeling like

it's right around minus 30 celsius out here if you plan on going out and about in some of these windy conditions. that is absolutely bone chilling. this one is going to move towards the northeast, still bringing snowfall with it. some areas could see upwards of 30 centimeters on top of what's already falling. minnesota, a few reports here, right now eight centimeters of snow. that will move northeast. we have the cold front on the map attached to it. that's going to develop and actually bring a widespread area of freezing rain there from texas extending towards the northeast. some areas you could see upwards of five millimeters. i know that doesn't sound like a lot. imagine how thick five millimeters and try to put that down as ice and then walk on it and then try to drive on it. some areas seeing upwards of 20, 30 centimeters of snow north of the freezing line. ahead of that cold front, warm temperatures. actually in d.c. you feel like

you're missing out on the big part of the arctic blast. you're not in the clear. by saturday into sunday it is just going to be absolutely chilly there for you. moving over towards the tropics, actually right around malaysia down towards portions of thailand we've been looking at some fairly heavy rainfall out here. tuflly had a map here i wanted to show you. there it is. this is just showing the -- some areas upwards of about five to 700 millimeters in malaysia. we've been seeing rain reports, upwards of 15,000 people have been displaced, several deaths as well due to the heavy rainfall. it is continuing to come down. not to mention it looks like a cyclonic storm can be forming there, so another thing to keep an eye on. as far as northeast asia, although moving off towards northern japan, showers there for you. temperatures will be warming up into the weekend. that's a look at your world weather. here is your extended forecast.

that's "newsline" at this hour. i'm gene otani here in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk, have a great day wherever you are.

>> at least 20 people are killed in a car bomb and gunfight in a hospital in yemen defense ministry complex. six doctors and five patients are among the dead. another two dozen killed in central africa. armed clashes broke out in the capital between former rebels controlling the city and militias. the u.n. is voting today on sending in international troops. and the king of thailand calls on the people to do their duty without directly referring to recent violent protests. those demonstrations are on hold today out of respect for the monarch's birthday. first